We fight common-land swap at the Canyons
We have objected to an application from Peakman Ltd to remove part of Mynydd Llanhilleth Common from the common-land register. This popular common is near Abertillery in south Wales. As part of its plan to extract aggregates from the nearby quarry, Peakman wants to widen the existing Blaen y Cwm road and create parking bays.…
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Council challenged over 50-year failure to comply with legislation
A question was asked at the full meeting of Powys County Council last month by Peter Newman, our local correspondent for Powys, about the failure of the council to comply with the 1968 Countryside Act. This laid a duty on highway authorities to signpost all public paths where they leave a metalled road. Peter went…
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Welsh access on hold
Last year we responded to a consultation from the Welsh Government, Taking forward Wales’s sustainable management of natural resources. Chapter 4 was about access to the outdoors. We welcomed its proposal for extended access to coast and cliff, riverbanks and lakesides, an all-Wales digital map of access, and the repeal of the 2026 closure of…
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Common-land swap at Gorseinon, Swansea
We are disappointed that Welsh Ministers have approved plans by Persimmon Homes to swap an area of Mynydd Garngoch Common at Gorseinon, north-west of Swansea. Persimmon has been permitted to strike 0.71 hectares of common land from the register and use it for development, replacing it with 0.81 hectares of land which the Open Spaces…
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Eyesore rejected on much-loved Bridgend common
Welsh Ministers have rejected an application for timber posts on Pen Y Fai Common at Bridgend. The application for works on common land was made by Save Our Greenery, to prevent vehicles from parking on the common. The decision letter came from planning inspector Joanne Burston, on behalf of the Welsh ministers who determine applications…
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Industrialisation of The Canyons, Torfaen
We have objected to an application from Peakman Ltd to develop Mynydd Llanhilleth Common, near Abertillery in Torfaen, south Wales. Peakman wants to build a new haul road, widen the existing Cefn Crib road and erect fencing on the common to enable it to extract aggregates from the nearby quarry. Because the works affect common…
Read MoreDamaging plan for South Wales common withdrawn
We are pleased that Western Power Distribution (WPD) has withdrawn its proposal to place 15 electricity poles with an overhead line across Gwaun Cae Gurwen Common three miles north of Pontardawe in Neath Port Talbot. WPD had sought consent from Welsh ministers for works on common land under section 38 of the Commons Act 2006.…
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Welsh Government confirms the importance of designated landscapes
On 13 March the Minister for the Environment in the Welsh Government, Hannah Blythyn, confirmed unequivocally ‘that all the existing designated landscapes will be retained and their purpose of conserving and enhancing natural beauty will not be weakened’. This came as a considerable relief to us because over the last few years the future of…
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New village green at Camrose in Pembrokeshire
The Lambston Parish Residents’ Association in Camrose community, Pembrokeshire, is celebrating the registration of an open space in Sutton as a village green. The one-acre site, just to the west of Haverfordwest, has been enjoyed by local people for informal recreation and social events for decades. Since the owner is not known, the Lambston residents…
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We urge Powys Council to reject damaging development in Glasbury
We are concerned that Powys County Council’s principal planning officer has recommended approval of an outline planning application for 12 dwellings and associated works in the village of Glasbury on the River Wye in Powys. The application will be determined by the Planning, Taxi Licensing and Rights of Way Committee on Thursday 15 March. The…
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